Farmers welcomed the rain which began in the weekend. A few areas had 10 to 40mm of rain but many places had only drizzle or scattered showers today. This is a good start but not enough. The drought is so severe that a few days of light rain will do nothing much. Farmers need at least 100mm of rain in the next two weeks so that grass can grow before the cold weather begins.

This wet weather will pass over New Zealand tomorrow or the next day. After that the warm dry weather will probably return.

Almost the whole of the North Island is suffering from drought and some parts of the South Island. New Zealand main exports are from agriculture and horticulture. The government says that the drought could cost the economy $2bn. For New Zealand people, we can expect to pay more for milk and meat.

• drizzle – very light rain, close to mist
• scattered showers – rain for a short time and then fine in different areas
• drought – no rain for a long time
• severe – serious, causing a lot of damage
• agriculture – farming animals
• horticulture – growing plants e.g. fruit, vegetables and flowers